Cob: Cob Classes

[Michael Saunby]

>
> For the lady who wrote, she has had a life of low pay jobs and doen't
> want them anymore. Not finishing hight school is one deterrent to
> financial success, but no one stops her from getting more education at
> night now/it does take effort, but we are each responsible for our
> selves.
>
> Charmaine
>

In "How buildings learn" Stewart Brand describes what he call 'low road'
buildings.  Places like the garage where Hewlett and Packard started their
business. He says "most of the world's work is done in Low Road buildings,
and even in rich societies the most inventive creativity, especially
youthful creativity, will be found in Low Road buildings taking full
advantage of the licence to try things."

A while back when talking to an engineer friend who works on huge
international projects we had a laugh about the current cluelessness
regarding "green" building.  What most of the world require is shelter,
that's what housing is about, shelter, not triple glazing and low energy
use - wear more clothes, second hand ones are good and very cheap!  I doubt
there is at any price a new car or van that is as "green" as my old van,
partly because it is green (in colour) and largely because it's 32 years old
and is very likely to last another 30 plus years.  It might use a bit more
fuel than a new vehicle, but keeping it uses a lot less glass, steel, and
plastic than replacing it every few years.

It's great to dream of a new house, new TV, new car, etc.  In fact it's damn
near essential if you've little else going on in your life.  But if you
really need a change, then look to the essentials, food, shelter, etc.
Shelter can generally be obtained at lowest cost using an existing
structure, their are trailers, shipping containers, barns, sheds, etc. In
England many people in rural areas lived in structures that no longer remain
because by modern standards they were not fit places to live, however I
suspect that landlords, etc. were even happier than the residents to see
these places go.

In Brand's book there are pictures of a house built in stages, a room at a
time, during the Depression. Such is the natural way of building a home.  My
wife's family have lived for generations in a (now old) farmhouse.  Since
I've know them parts of the house that were clearly used in the past to live
in have been used simply to store animal feed and fuel, and then when a new
generation arrived rebuilt as accommodation.

In short, a new house won't change your life, but a change in your life may
well produce a new house - a room at a time.

Michael Saunby